Dealing With And Getting Rid Of Head Lice

If you are dealing with head lice, you need to know what you are working with and what you can do about it. This is arguably one of the worst events that can happen in your life, it is right up there with the chicken pox and that sort of thing. It is a nuisance that requires you to stop your life and to reset everything, clean everything, and make sure that you have killed it. It can require time off work and really affect your personal life. You need to make sure that you know how to spot it and how to deal with it most effectively.

How to Tell If You Have Head Lice

An itchy scalp isn’t the only tell tale sign that you have bugs crawling in your head, and it shouldn’t be the only one that you are using to determine it. There are many other things that you need to look at to make sure that you actually have them. First, find out if you have had an outbreak in your area, at work, at the school your child goes to, and all that stuff. You will find that not only are you going to have an itchy scalp, but you will also have nits or eggs in your hair that are visible and possibly even some little critters crawling around there.

What to Do If You Have Head Lice

So, if you have these little critters, it is time to get rid of it, you need to do everything in your power to do this. The first thing that you need to do is that you need to be sure that you are getting it out of your hair and your house. You need to create a game plan as to how you are going to get rid of it and execute on that so that it goes away as soon as possible.

Treatments for Head Lice

There are many different treatments for these little critters. First, you may need shampoos and you may use one of the following: natural shampoos, over the counter, or prescription shampoos. This will all vary based on the severity of your condition, and you want to make sure that you are getting the treatment that you need so that you can get rid of it. You are also going to have to comb the nits out of your hair with a metal comb and get rid of the nits.

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Head Lice Information – Lice, Nits and Their Life Cycle

There are countless myths about head lice and this is why it is essential to have access to reliable, unbiased head lice information. Here is a detailed description of the head louse and its eggs, called nits, as well as details on the life cycle of head lice.

The Head Louse

The head louse is a small wingless insect, which body is flattened. Its color is white but once soaked with blood, it becomes red or black. It measures 2 to 3 mm. Wingless, it does not fly nor does it jump but it moves quickly (speed of 23 cm per minute under natural conditions) between the hair to which it clings tightly with 3 pairs of short legs. Its abdomen is wider than the rest of the body.

The head louse breathes through holes that can close themselves and become impermeable to water. These openings also have a function of excretion. Its head has short antennae and highly specialized mouthparts that allow the head louse to perform piercing and sucking actions. Feeding exclusively on the blood of its host, who it bites 2 to 4 times per day for meals that last about 30 minutes. It can live on the scalp for over a month (30 to 40 days).

Far away from his host, the head louse rarely survives more than 36 hours, it dies of starvation or dehydration. It must indeed be regularly fed with blood, and the weather and moisture conditions necessary to its survival are quite strict: temperature between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius with 70% to 80% humidity. The head louse is an external parasite of humans, which means that it absolutely must be on a human in order to survive. We know of no head lice predators.

Nits

The eggs of head lice are called nits and have the appearance of grain with a caramel color when laid, and they become more or less white when they are empty. Nits are very hard to spot as they measure approximately 0.8 mm and are glued to the hair by a secretion of the female louse.This secretion (cementum) coats the base of the nit and the hair which hold together firmly.

The female lays its nits at the root of the hair very close to the scalp (less than 1 mm) where the incubation is easier thanks to the heat and humidity. After hatching, the empty shell of the nit can remains on the hair for several months. Whitish, it gradually moves away from the root as the hair grows. Empty nits can easily be taken for dandruff but unlike those, they are resistant to washing and brushing hair.

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Head Lice Treatment – Home Remedy For Head Lice

Head lice thrive on humans as hosts and mostly live on human head and neck. Feeding off of human blood, they try to stay as close to the skin or scalp as possible. They use their six lags to firmly attach to hair shaft and move around. These legs are the reason head lice treatment can be somewhat difficult.

The female head lice lay eggs, also known as nits whose color ranges from white to gray. If you have natural dark brown hair like me, having your head infested with gray head lice is truly a nightmare. I remember hours of tedious head lice treatment my mom performed that I had to endure. White ones are very difficult to detect if a person has blond. They seem to use good camouflage.

If the incubation is successful, they morph into baby nymphs. The louse goes from a nit, to baby nymph to a full-grown louse.

Head lice prevention

Wash your head regularly to minimize the risk. Head lice are not a sign of bad hygiene, but washing the hair and thus the scalp, might just help, so why not?

Shaving your hair off is fine if you are a guy, but what do you do if you are a female? For longer hair, the best “tool” to help you prevent head louse from multiplying is a nit or head louse comb available at any store.

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Home remedy for head lice

Head lice oil

Ingredients

* 10 drops of rosemary essential oil

* 10 drops of lavender essential oil

* 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Olive oil serves as a carrier oil, it dilutes the other essential oils keeping them from quick evaporation.

Rosemary and lavender will kill and smother the lice.

Preparation and use

* Add the essential oil to the olive oil

* Massage the scalp and apply all over the hear

* Put a shower cap on and leave on for 1 hour

* Wash off using a head louse shampoo following the instructions on the bottle

Head lice treatment lotion

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The rosemary and lavender essential oils in this lotion kill the nits, and vinegar makes it easier for them to slide down the hair shaft.

Ingredients

* 6 drops of rosemary essential oil

* 6 drops of lavender essential oil

* 5 deciliters of apple vinegar

* 5 deciliters of warm water

Preparation

* Mix both oils with vinegar and warm water

* Use the lotion to thoroughly wash the hair and scalp

* Put a shower cap on

* Leave it on for 15 minutes

* Use the head louse hair comb to comb the hair thoroughly and then wash the hair off using warm water

After this, wash the hair with head louse shampoo using the instructions on the bottle.

Thyme shampoo

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Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon of ordinary hair shampoo (baby shampoo will do)

* 2-3 drops of essential thyme oil

When we say thyme, we usually think of food and oil wide use in food preparation. However, thyme and essential thyme oil are great antiseptics and disinfectants, and also great natural insecticides. Thyme essential oil shouldn’t be used undiluted so you need to this:

Preparation

* Mix the essential thyme oil with shampoo

* Massage the scalp and apply all over the hair

* Leave on for 5 minutes and wash off using lukewarm water

* Following the instructions, use a commercial head louse shampoo

Tea tree oil remedy

Ingredients

* 20 drops of tea tree oil

* 2 oz of olive oil

* 10 drops each of: rosemary essential oil, lavender essential oil, and lemon essential oil

Preparation

* Combine the ingredients and apply to dry hair

* Cover with shower cap, wrap a towel around it, and leave on for 2 hours

* Rinse off using a regular shampoo until you remove all the residue

Wikipedia.org also suggests blending equal amounts of vinegar and olive oil and adding 20 drops of tea tree oil.

Apply the mixture to damp hair, massage and comb the hair. Wrap the hair in a plastic bag for 3 or more hours. Use this head louse treatment for 10 days or at least repeat in 4 to 5 days.

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Head Lice Treatment

Not all nit removal services are made equal, so when choosing one to treat your family it is essential that you do your homework.

Studies all over the world are showing that head lice are becoming increasingly resistant to over the counter head lice treatment products and even prescription products. This fact coupled with the growing trend away from using harmful chemicals in our everyday lives has led to a growing number of parents to seek out alternative products and treatment methods when their children contract these dreaded parasites.

One area that has seen tremendous growth in the past few years because of these factors is the niche of professional nit removal services. These services are a lifesaver to many overwhelmed parents with little time to spare. As with any company that you hire, though, it is critical to be an educated consumer and know what to look for.

Anyone can buy a few non-toxic products and a lice comb and claim to be a professional. So to protect yourself and your family, follow a few basic guidelines when choosing a nit removal service in your area.

Find a company with adequate training and education. There are no regulatory or state licensing requirements in this emerging field, so it can be hit or miss when choosing a service. Look for companies that are certified in The Shepherd Method of strand-by-strand nit removal. This is important for not only in-home treatment, but for salon treatment, too.

This safe and proven means of head lice treatment was developed at a non-profit lice treatment and awareness center in Florida called Lice Solutions Resource Network (LSRN). Katie Shepherd, the executive director, developed this method of strand-by-strand nit removal as a safe and highly effective means of treatment. Companies trained and certified in this method are known to provide superior service and treatment to families. These companies are also up-to-date in research as they have access to the latest head lice studies that LSRN is involved in.

Another major issue to be aware of is safety. Whenever you are hiring someone to come to your home there are certain issues to be mindful of. You need to be sure that anyone you allow in your home is truly there to perform the services they were hired for. Verifying that a company is licensed, registered and insured is the first step in protecting your family. For added peace of mind, you can also check with your local Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau to see if they are upstanding members.

Another precaution to take is to ensure that any employees or independent contractors that the company hires are properly screened. Making thorough background checks part of the hiring process is a good indication that you’re dealing with a reputable company that makes client safety a priority.

Families dealing with head lice are usually overwhelmed and vulnerable. Unfortunately, some companies take advantage of this by playing up myths that perpetuate irrational fears about infestations. In other words, they may try to sell you unnecessary products. Look into what they are selling. If they have a whole line of products intended to rid your home and laundry of lice that may be a red flag. Some companies even go so far as to sell hand soap to kill lice.

These are all a complete waste of money. Anyone who is properly trained and is aware of current research knows that head lice in the environment pose virtually no threat of transmission. So, there is no reason to focus on excessive environmental cleaning. Products that “treat” the home, car or laundry are unnecessary and a waste of money and time. Be hesitant in hiring a company who focuses too much on environmental cleaning and excessive bagging of items that can’t be washed.

There is a lot to think about when hiring a lice removal service to come to your home. Just because you are stressed and short on time doesn’t mean you have to be uninformed. Take these precautions outlined above when choosing a company and you’ll be well on your way to becoming, and staying, lice free!

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